“That’s me & Gary’s s**t” – Shaquille O'Neal takes credit for establishing ‘Heat Culture’ 

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game Three
Shaquille O'Neal takes credit for the "Heat Culture"

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the first players for the Miami Heat that instilled a winning culture during his tenure with the team. Together with some veteran players, they took their opportunity back in 2006 and won the Larry O'Brien trophy to solidify their careers in the NBA.

In 2006, Shaq was teamed up with Gary Payton for a second time in their careers in an attempt to win a title. Luckily for them, the heroics of Dwyane Wade helped the franchise win its first title against the Dallas Mavericks after mounting a comeback in the NBA Finals.

Little did anyone know that there was more to the Heat's incredible championship run. According to O'Neal, he and Payton were responsible for imparting the "Heat Culture" mindset to the franchise.

"That's me and Gary's s**t, ain't no 'Heat Culture.' Me and Gary did that. Me, Gary, Alonzo [Mourning], D-Wade and Jason [Williams], that's our s**t." O'Neal said.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

Payton backed up O'Neal's claims and mentioned that due to their iconic championship run, the Heat became a championship-minded team.

"If you go back in 2006, who won the first championship for the Miami Heat? We did. 'Cause when Pat [Riley] got there, he brought us all together. They thought we were problem childs and next thing you know, we put it together. We started that. We started the Miami Heat winning championships." Payton added.

Whether the term "Heat Culture" was coined because of their title win, there's no denying that they started something big in Miami.

youtube-cover

Since then, the Heat have added two more titles and have been in the Finals six times. The team is looking forward to winning their fourth championship after falling short back in 2020 when they lost against the LA Lakers.

You might also want to read this: “That would be better for me”- Shaquille O’Neal’s response about iconic alley-oop dunk shows how much he misses Kobe Bryant


Shaquille O'Neal wasn't happy with a top-10 list he saw where he was number 10

Shaquille O'Neal in the PointsBet Built Differently Media Event
Shaquille O'Neal in the PointsBet Built Differently Media Event

Shaquille O'Neal loves a good fan interaction and his social media accounts could often be seen communicating with fans. Recently, he tweeted a photo with the ten best players of all time, which included himself and his former teammate, the late Kobe Bryant.

Upon sharing it, he wasn't too pleased with where he was placed on the list. The four-time champion was number ten, while Bryant was at number nine, which didn't sit well with him.

"Y’all agree with this? I DON’T.. KOBE #9 and me #10??? Hell to the nawwww." O'Neal wrote.

Still, even with that ranking, fans know the impact and legacy the iconic duo left on the court. Even if they're not considered the best players on the list, people still know how great they were.

Also read: Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal wanted to destroy each other before being forced to make peace by their moms

Miami Heat Nation! You can check out the latest Miami Heat Schedule and dive into the Heat Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.

Quick Links

Edited by Reign Amurao
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications